401k 2017 max contribution

Overhauling Denver’s campaign finance rules was popular with voters in 2018. More than 70% of Denverites who cast ballots that year voted for Referred Measure 2E. The sweeping change to the city’s campaign rules ratcheted down contribution limits for candidates seeking every seat from mayor to the city auditor, banned direct corporate and union campaign contributions and established a fair elections fund to provide public financing for candidates who agreed to abide by even lower contribution limits and other rules. Participate in the fair elections fund and receive a 9-to-1 public funding match on contributions from Denver residents between $5 and $50. In other words, a $50 donation becomes $500 with taxpayer money so long as the donor hails from the city and county. A lot has happened since then. First, the measure’s backers struck a deal with the City Council to delay the law’s effective date until after the 2019 municipal election instead of trying to enact the changes … [Read more...] about In crowded city races, Denver’s new fair election fund will face first test

Cherie Gil There was a point in Cherie Gil’s illustrious career when she questioned herself if there was anything else she could leave behind in the industry aside from her “famous line” about second-rate, trying-hard copycats. But as heartfelt tributes for the beloved actress poured in on social media—shortly after news broke that she died from cancer last Aug. 5—it became unquestionably clear that Cherie’s legacy goes beyond the iconic “contravida” roles she played, or any other performances she gave on television, film and stage. For her family, loved ones and the people fortunate enough to have worked with her on- and offscreen, Cherie was more than a versatile talent: She was also a friend, a sister, a mentor, a second mother. For her niece Max Eigenmann, Cherie was the one person she turned to when she was feeling down. “She always knew what to do to make me feel better,” she said, reminiscing about the intimate conversations they had during their yoga sessions or as … [Read more...] about Leaving a lasting legacy: Cherie Gil more than just an iconic ‘contravida’

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The growth trajectory of the largest national entitlement programs — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — has many concerned, understandably so. But state and local unfunded pension liabilities must also be counted among the major challenges to U.S. fiscal health. According to Pew research, unfunded state pension liabilities reached a combined $1.25 trillion in 2019. Other projections that assume more modest investment returns find total unfunded state pension liabilities today in excess of $8 trillion . The trillions of dollars in growing unfunded public pension liabilities, for which taxpayers are ultimately on the hook, is a problem that could soon be exacerbated by a new federal tax in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that will diminish state and local pension plan returns. “We should not increase taxes, and we did not increase taxes,” Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) said about the IRA on NBC’s Meet the … [Read more...] about Stock Buyback Tax Will Harm State & Local Pensions

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Panama Canal is a conduit for 6% of the global maritime traffic. But climate change is disrupting that trade. While high temperatures and little rain are the primary causes, four hurricanes over seven years have been equally devastating. The Panama Canal is in the midst of Panama’s rainforests, which cover 68% of its land or nearly 12.7 million acres. Both depend on precipitation for survival. If the rainforests do not get ample rainfall, it trickles down to the canal. The bad news is that the canal’s authorities say that 2019 was the fifth most arid in 70 years, with rainfall 20% less than the average, all compounded by depleted reservoirs. Indeed, water levels fell in 2015 and 2016 , and shippers had to reduce the amount of cargo on their vessels — money down the drain. “The Panama Canal is the only interoceanic commerce route whose operation depends on the availability of freshwater, making it the most … [Read more...] about Climate Change Threatens Panama Canal And Global Maritime Trade